Friday, August 12, 2011

Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Customer Service that Sparks Remarks

Word-of-mouth is your best form of advertising as a luxury real estate marketing professional. However, if you want people to make positive remarks about you, your service must be remarkable.

Promoting the people and the brands you like is natural because you want to share what you value the most with the people who matter most to you. We tend to value the opinions of those people we respect. If someone you respect goes out of their way to promote something the chance is high that you will at least take the time to check it out if you also have an interest in that product or service category.

If you are in the market for a new pair of shades, you might want to check out Maui Jim. Alexandra purchased her Maui Jim sunglasses with the ultra-light titanium frames over six years ago. They are great for sports like skiing and tennis because they are feather light and they are very durable. Plus, the bronze mirrored and polarized lenses wipe out 99% of the glare and block 100% of harmful UV rays.

Recently the frame broke and the lens was starting to crack slightly. She called the company and was asked to return them for repair. Within a couple of days she received a phone call from a company rep with “aloha” spirit (even though they are based in Illinois). She was told that they would gladly replace both the lens and frame for $60, a fraction of the cost of a new pair. When they sent the glasses back (within just a few days) they were in a brand new case. Now, that was remarkable service from a company that stands behind its product.

Another remarkable retail experience occurred at Gelson’s market (18 stores in Southern California). We just love their mission statement: “To make shopping anywhere else unacceptable for consumers who value quality products, cleanliness, convenience, and personal service. Their goal is to create an extraordinary grocery shopping experience for discerning consumers”.

What was extraordinary? In our Santa Barbara store, they have a wood-burning pizza oven where they make fresh Wolfgang Puck pizzas. When we were last there one of the crew was walking up and down the aisles offering slices of pizza to customers on a silver tray, as if it was a hors d'oeuvre at a cocktail party. Costco has stations where you can stop by and sample food. Trader Joes has their version of this. But, the simple act of someone walking up to you, like a waiter, offering you a taste of something delicious and giving you a cocktail napkin, provided a “quality cue” that set them apart.

There is no mistaking extraordinary customer service because when it is out of the ordinary it is remarkable. Practice spreading the word about what you value the most to those who matter the most to you. Then, think of ways you can spark remarks and trigger word-of-most advertising for your luxury real estate marketing practice.

About Me

At Napa Consultants, International International we help entrepreneurs and
professionals out-think (not out-spend) their competition and become the
"breakaway" brand in their marketplace. Our expertise is providing
strategic insight, creative instinct, and artistic flair to those
professionals and firms whose target market is affluent consumers. If
market leadership is your quest it is imperative to sharply
differentiate yourself or your company from your competition. Blend in
at your own risk. Stand out or bow out!